Crucible essay.

         When i was five my cousins and i would sit on the couch, one cousin per cushion, and we would pack our bags and pretend we were on an airplane, we'd fly past Paris and Rome occasionally hitting some turbulence or losing a passenger through a loose emergency door, for arriving at our destination did not matter for we would all hop on the plane again screaming as we plunged through the clouds. We never in-fact left that basement couch but it need not matter for we had imagination and that was all we needed. Imagination is a marvelous thing.  Imagination can however, can run rampant as we see in Salem depicted by Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  The people of Salem however were not flying through clouds as thick as cotton candy, but seeing the devils mark upon those they knew.  Imagination was careening Salem far past the boundaries of reason.  The entire town took part but those who drove the van as it were, were none other than John Proctor, the Putnams, and Abigail Williams.  These proprietiers of imagination were at the center of the storm shredding Salem.
         Despite the purity of his heart John Proctor was central to the Salem witch trials in regards to the Crucible.    Abigail lusted after John, and in the dark recesses of her mind she fancied herself in love with him.  Abigail took drastic action to have John, all of Abigail's actions somehow led back to John Proctor.  John does share some of the blame;  when Abigail confessed to him he should have told Reverend Hale straight away, yet he was blinded by his emotions and that thought fled as he pushed Abigail away his emotions guiding his actions.  Abigail, equally blinded, divulged to John a secret that could have saved the town. "Oh posh! We were dancin' in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us.  She took fright is all (Miller 21,22)."  Abigail has just admitted Betty and Ruth's illness had naught to do with witchcraft.  Perhaps if the noble John Procter had not let emotion cloud his judgement he could have halted the impending train of lies and trickery Abby was formulating.
          Others who were involved had more sinister intentions.  Thomas Putnam and his wife were the stereotypical white picket fence couple of Salem,  a couple who has dark secrets twisting in their minds; shadows on their souls.  A woman besmirched by jealousy and a man clouded by greed.  Goody Putnam's mind warps  around the death of her seven children.   She even does the unthinkable to try and see who murdered her precious children.  "Parris:  Goody Ann, it is a formidable sin to conjure up the dead!  Mrs. Putnam: I take it on my soul, but who else may surely tell us what person murdered my babies?  Parris horrified: Women (Miller 15,16) !"  Goody Putnam admits to attempting to conjuring the dead the only true 'witchcraft' Salem sees in the novel.  However this is not brought up again, it is buried even when others are being sentenced for witchcraft when the closest thing to it is the actions of Goody Putnam.  Even in Puritan times it pays to have friends in high places.  Driven with jealousy over the fact that the good willed Rebecca Nurse has not had to lay down a child nor grand-baby ahead of their time she accuses her of the unthinkable.  "Francis: For murder she is charged!  Mockingly quoting the warrant: For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies (Miller 71)."  Along side her Mr. Putnam guides his daughters accusing finger towards his neighbors for those accused must sell their land and who better to buy it than the richest man in the town? "Abigail: Envy is a deadly sin, Mary (Miller 115)."  This advice would best be told to the Putnams, two people whose envy unraveled a town.
               She who is most responsible cannot be disputed.  There are no fanciful debates to be had, nor intellectual arguments over the most influential player of this deadly game.  None will deny that Abigail Williams is the eye of the hurricane; the driving force behind the storm that destroyed Salem.  Perhaps it was her lust towards John Procter, or her envy towards Elizabeth Procter, maybe even that twinge of madness that danced behind her dark eyes.  Every instance of trickery every sin shrouded lie leads back to Abby.  "Abby: She made made me do it! She made Betty do it ( Miller 43)!" Abby ricochets the blame on to Tituba in order to save herself.  This is a recurring theme in the novel,  Abby is quick to accuse those who, however innocent, that get in her way.  "Procter: Who charged her?  (referring to his wife) Cheever:  Why Abigail Williams charge her (Miller 73)." Abby strives to swipe Goody Procter off the Earth and claim her place as John's wife.  She does not care who she hurts.  She soaks up the attention like a sun.  Without her initial accusation the Witch Trials would never had occurred.  She strives to be the center of attention,  all is right in her world as long as all eyes are upon her.  The fact Abigail Williams is the driving force behind the Salem Witch trials is indisputable.  If there is an accusing finger follow the arm and surely the hand that accuses is the hand of Abigail Williams.
               John Proctor, Mr.Putnam and his wife, and Abigail Williams dealt out the cards of this twisted game.  Each had a part, a role to play, and thus blame falls on to these characters.  Our actions speak louder than our words they say, well the actions of the aforementioned people do not speak to us, they scream to us with the force of a train.  As Atlas holds the sky these three hold the responsibility for being key players, each for their own actions, desires, and devices.  These people did not nudge Salem into the dark recesses of hell, they shoved it in without preamble.  Each by different means and for different reasons,  these are the people most responsible for storm of Salem.